


Apart

by agentz123



Series: Duck Twin Week 2021 [1]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: 4+1, Adventure, Angst, Astronomy, Duck Twin Week, Duck Twin Week (Disney), Duck Twin Week 2021, Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Minor Character Death, Pre-Canon, References to S2's "Moonvasion!", Separation, Short and Loosely Related Series of One-Shots, Twin Bond, aged-down characters, angst with a happy ending (?), space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:01:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28953111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentz123/pseuds/agentz123
Summary: Four times Della wanted space, and one time she didn't.Duck Twin Week 2021, Day 1 - Space (Della)
Relationships: Donald Duck & Della Duck
Series: Duck Twin Week 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094204
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am LATE to the party but recent events have made me realized that time does not care, so neither should I. I will continuing this event and others I have fallen behind on at my own pace because I write to unwind and do something that makes me happy, NOT to make deadlines :)

In ducks, clutch sizes typically range from three to twelve eggs. 

The Duck family, however, is not typical. 

Hortense McDuck laid a single egg containing two embryos, which is a sign of severe complications in baby birds. The chances of either of the children surviving, even with profound birth defects, were slim to none. 

It was Della who suggested hatching a few weeks ahead of schedule: it was extremely cramped, and it wasn’t like they were going to get much bigger anyway. She pushed and shoved her brother against the ivory casing, resisting his tugs and heeds of warning in lieu of satisfying her cravings for adventure, for fresh air, for space. Eventually Donald gave into her pleas, and tentatively chipped at the shell and poked out his beak, exclaiming that it was quite cold. His path of retreat was quickly interrupted by the realization that he was, in fact, stuck.

Impatiently, Della rammed through the chinks in armor sprouted by her brother’s growing tantrum. She extended her tender wings and inhaled the bleary sights and sounds, the brisk air causing her lungs to quiver and her golden down to tremble. 

Much better.


	2. Chapter 2

“No hard feelings, alright? I just...I just don’t want to go into the sixth grade as a freak.” 

Donald felt his feathers bristle at the word. It was constantly used to describe his voice, or the way he didn’t have actual parents, or how he would always lose his temper at the most inopportune moments. He would have never expected Della to use it. “How is it...’freaky’ that we share the same birthday? Who even pays attention to that stuff?” 

“It just IS, Don, okay?! Just...just give me some space for the first few weeks. Let’s navigate our own planes, you know?”

Donald hated flying, and he knew that she knew that. Still not quite understanding, he prodded, “What about at lunch? We can’t even hang out at lunch?” He averted his gaze so he didn’t have to see her shake her head. “Well, I _can’t_ avoid you at soccer tryouts. How ‘bout that?” Donald crossed his arms in defiance, his bill jammed to the sky in preparation for his sister’s counters, but they never arrived.

Wait a minute...!

“You’re not going out for soccer? But...WE’RE the best set of power forwards out there! Who’s...who’s supposed to…?”

Two sets of shoulders slumped simultaneously. 

Donald forced himself to make one last attempt. “What about Mom?” he croaked. “Mom taught us how to play. It was her favorite sport.”

Nothing.

“Remember how she used to call it _ball-coise?_ ”

Della suddenly found interest in a splinter peeling off of her desk, and Donald felt as if his heart was spiraling into a tailspin. He had never experienced loneliness whenever he was around Della before, and the cavernous pit of isolation and dejection growing rapidly in his chest terrified him so deeply he attempted to run from it, unaware of the fact that the feeling would pursue him until it knew him. 

Della’s entire body crumpled into itself as Donald shut the door so hard it fell off of its hinges and went flying down the staircase. Scottish curses bellowed throughout the mansion, but this time she didn’t have the heart to laugh. 

This was...this was much better.


End file.
